In December 1944 Hitler gambled his last reserves on a surprise drive through the Ardennes — Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein, the offensive the Allies called the Battle of the Bulge. Propaganda-company cameramen filmed vehicles of the 1st SS-Panzer Division rolling past the signpost at the Kaiserbaracke Crossroads, between St. Vith and Malmedy, and those few seconds became one of the most reproduced images of the war. The attack committed 410,000 men and cost the Germans tens of thousands of casualties for a bulge that collapsed within weeks. The sign pointing to Malmedy carries a darker weight: near there, men of this same division murdered scores of American prisoners.

The five-piece set recreates the newsreel frame — the amphibious Type 166 Schwimmwagen halted at the signpost, the reconnaissance crew reading maps, the arrows to St. Vith and Malmedy behind them. It is the German half of the Bulge: set it against the Americans who stopped the drive, the paratroopers of Welcome to Bastogne and their commander General McAuliffe, and link it to the division's own commander, Joachim Peiper. Limited to 345 numbered pieces, it makes the centerpiece of an Ardennes crossroads diorama.

W. Britain model 25203. 1/30 scale, matte-painted metal. Five-piece limited-edition set — a Type 166 Schwimmwagen with crew and signpost recreating the Kaiserbaracke Crossroads scene, one of 345 numbered pieces with a certificate of authenticity. Boxed.